Preview: Royals at White Sox

July 28, 2013|Reuters

The Kansas City Royals attempt to complete a sweep Sunday, when they visit the Chicago White Sox for the finale of their three-game set. Kansas City received superb performances from its starting pitchers in the first two games of the series, as James Shields tossed seven scoreless innings in the opener and Wade Davis followed with 7 1/3 strong frames in Saturday's 1-0 triumph. Lorenzo Cain plated the lone run with a double before leaving with tightness in his left groin.

The Royals, who enter with a five-game winning streak, are 8-2 since the All-Star break and 50-51 on the season. Chicago is heading in the opposite direction as it has lost five of its last six contests. The White Sox wasted another terrific outing by Chris Sale on Saturday as the All-Star left-hander grabbed a share of the American League lead with his third complete game of the year.

Chen will be making his third straight start after beginning the season with 19 relief appearances. The 36-year-old Panamanian has been superb since joining the rotation, going 1-0 while allowing one run and four hits in 12 innings over two starts. Chen is 6-5 with a 3.75 ERA in 21 career games - 15 starts - against the White Sox.

Santiago looks to put an end to his five-start winless streak. The 25-year-old received four straight no-decisions before falling to the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday, when he surrendered six runs - three earned - and five hits in six innings. Santiago won his only career decision against the Royals on June 21, when he yielded a run and three hits over eight frames at Kansas City.